Brookhaven, NY - February 22, 2017 - On Feb. 1, ECO Mark Simmons received a call from a complainant who stated that he had found evidence of where a deer was taken near bait in the town of Brookhaven. Fresh peanut butter was found smeared on many of the trees and a large pile of deer feed in the area. In front of the blind, the ECOs found deer hair, blood, and a crossbow bolt. The complainant had also stated that he had seen a deer on a truck several houses away from the location.
ECOs Kaitlin Grady and Christopher DeRose responded with K-9 Cramer to assist with interviewing the suspect and locating the deer. No contact with the suspect was made, but K-9 Cramer located blood in the driveway and on a truck at the residence. ECOs Landon Simmons and Grady spoke to a local deer processor and found the processed meat, head, and hide from a young buck that had been tagged by the suspect. The ECOs were able to determine the approximate time and date that the deer had been shot. K-9 Cramer also located the gut pile from a deer matching the size and sex of the deer at the processor.
The following day, ECOs Landon Simmons and Grady met with the suspect. He initially claimed that he had shot the deer on Jan. 31, while the season was still open, with a compound bow in an adjoining town. Then, after being presented with the evidence, the suspect admitted to unlawfully taking the deer with a crossbow over the bait after the season had closed.
The suspect was charged with taking deer over bait, taking deer with an unspecified implement using a crossbow, taking deer out of season, failing to tag deer properly, and illegal take of a deer. On Feb. 12, the illegal hunter met with Lt. Tom Gadomski at the Regional Office and signed an Order on Consent, admitting the violations and paying $2,000 to settle the case.